Egyptian Sunsets
by Suzerenma
Summary: On a whim, three New York City based students decide to study Arabic in Egypt during the summer. Ariel has been dreaming of adventure, but must convince her overprotective father to allow her to go; Esmeralda has been struggling with her Master's thesis and hopes to find her muse; and overworked Pocahontas needs an escape. Who knows what Egypt will bring to life? (AU)
1. Chapter 1 - Introduction

Chapter 1 - Introduction

It was a cold February day in New York City and it seemed the clock ticked by much slower than usual. The room was silent, save for a few scribbling of notes and the occasional throat clearing as the class of 16-something students fervently worked away at their Arabic quiz – today it was chapter 13's grammar; a much more difficult lesson than the previous chapters, thus inflicting great stress on the students as they tried to piece together all of the necessary parts in order to form comprehensible sentences. This was their fourth semester learning Arabic, thus designating them at the upper intermediate level. However, it seemed as though each lesson was ever more difficult than the last as opposed to easier. Pocahontas, a usual A student, was no exception to the rule and found herself struggling to remember the subtle rule differences of the term 'that.' Ariel, who sat nearby was just about ready to throw her hands in the air and tear the quiz in half. Esmeralda, one of the graduate students, merely stared at her paper, cursing herself for not sleeping the night before.

"_Khamsa diqaaiq._" (Five minutes). Professor Genie El-Insaan reminded the class. He tried to keep his voice free of pressure or stress, but the truth was that he was anxious to view the quiz results in fear that he made the test much harder than intended. His teaching assistant Milo Thatch, also a graduate student studying Middle Eastern History alongside Esmeralda and a few of the other students in the class, was quietly passing back graded homework assignments. Milo had to remind Ariel yet again to keep her homework face down while she took her quiz so as to reduce any distractions. The problem was that Ariel was constantly worrying about her grades and wanted nothing more than to see a _mumtaaz_ (Excellent) grade at the top of her homework. As Milo wagged his finger and placed her homework once again face down, Ariel snuck a peek at the red lettering at the top of the page: _jayed jidan_ (Very good.) Her shoulders sagged as she returned her gaze back to her quiz, disappointed to still not have that _mumtaaz_ that she so desired.

Pocahontas did not want any distractions and thus moved her homework aside once Milo placed it on her desk. Truthfully, she had finished the quiz minutes ago, but she was not the least bit satisfied with it to warrant turning it in yet. To say she was an overachiever would be somewhat of an understatement, but also false. While earning good grades had always been a priority, she wanted nothing more than to learn the subjects she registered for. As she gazed at her quiz, she wondered how she could push herself to do better and really absorb the many grammar rules and complex vocabulary.

Esmeralda was lucky enough to have traveled to Egypt once before during her undergraduate studies, but there she learned the Egyptian colloquial variety of Arabic only, not Modern Standard Arabic. So needless to say, she had a difficult time rewiring her brain to focus on Modern Standard. While Professor El-Insaan arranged the class so that the lessons would infuse Modern Standard with Egyptian Colloquial, it was difficult at the intermediate level to discern in which occasions to use which variety. Esmeralda was even more confused than the rest of her classmates for at least they had some previous education in Modern Standard in their beginning levels.

Snow White was the first to finish her quiz. She cautiously stood up out of her seat, just in case someone else might turn in their quiz before her. It seemed no one wanted to be the first to seal their fate, but Snow just couldn't take the pressure anymore and with wobbly legs, walked over to Genie's desk and placed the quiz face down on the table. Not even three seconds later Rapunzel, equally as shaken, stood up from her seat and followed suit. Within thirty more seconds, the entire class shuffled themselves to the desk and placed their quizzes in front of Professor Genie who looked upon the ashen faces of his students with the most sincere of apologies and whispered a brief goodbye as each of them filed out of the class room.

Pocahontas heaved a huge sigh as she exited the room and jogged over to Snow who was standing against the wall adjacent to the classroom, looking over homework with a look of despair.

"How do you think you did on the quiz?" Pocahontas asked as she approached her classmate. Snow looked up and shook her head.

"I thought I was ready for it but once I saw the first question I completely froze!"

"Same here. This was much more difficult than our vocab quiz." Pocahontas agreed.

"Yeah, but I always have trouble with the grammar. It's like, no matter how much I try to do well, I'm always cursed to do horribly."

"Tell me about it...Have you decided what you wanted to do in the summer yet?"

Snow shook her head. "My stepmom wants me to go to France but I'd much rather go to the Middle East. She's just so convinced that I'm going to get murdered or kidnapped or something."

"Really? That's a crazy way of thinking about it."

"I can't stand her these days! Any time I want to do anything exciting, she forbids me and tells me that I'm being irrational. I want to study Arabic, not French." Snow groaned. Any time her family life was brought into conversation, she found herself in a one way argument. Yet it seemed every conversation with Snow included a segment on her family "How about you Po? Are you doing anything special?"

"I was thinking about going on the study abroad trip to Scotland to study the effects of rising sea levels, but I'm still not sure."

"How come? What's stopping you?"

Pocahontas sighed and readjusted her shoulder bag. "It's a long story. My dad and his girlfriend are getting married in early August so I need to check to make sure the dates of the program don't conflict with the wedding."

Snow's eyes narrowed and she angrily bit her bottom lip. "Don't even get me started on weddings. I just remember when my dad married my stepmom, and since then it's been a living hell."

"What'cha guys talking about?" Ariel announced as she skipped over to Snow and Pocahontas.

"Step parent stuff. My dad and his girlfriend are getting married in August so it might interfere with my study abroad plans." Pocahontas explained. "And Snow is reliving her own step parent trauma which has apparently been interfering with her own desires to travel."

"That's right! I remember you told me you wanted to go on the Scotland trip. I keep forgetting to tell Kayley to contact you since she did the trip last year."Ariel twirled her hair, smiling at her own forgetfulness.

"What about you Ariel? Are you still going to Egypt?" Snow asked with a tinge of envy in her voice.

"Yeah definitely! I'm so excited I can hardly wait!" Ariel exclaimed. "I mean, I haven't filled out the application yet but I emailed the program coordinators and they say they have my information."

"I'm so jealous that your family will let you go to the Middle East...My stepmom is just so overprotective, she won't let me go anywhere outside of maybe Europe." Snow bemoaned. "I'm going to keep asking her though, maybe since Professor Adam Dormant will be there, she'll feel better."

"Actually, my dad isn't too thrilled about me going either. He's really anxious about me traveling anywhere on my own but since Professor Adam will be there, he feels a bit better." Ariel admitted. "The funny thing is that he actually wants to call him and make him look after me while I'm there!"

"Po, why are you going to Scotland anyway? You should go with Ariel to Egypt and practice your Arabic." Snow suggested. "And maybe if I have two friends going, my stepmom would be more lenient in letting me go."

"I don't know guys..." Pocahontas began. "I had my heart set on Scotland, and I'm worried that if I were to go to Egypt that I won't be able to take advanced Arabic with all of you in the Fall. Aren't you worried about that too Ariel?"

Ariel shook her head and moved her red bangs out of her face. "No I'm definitely going to be in advanced with you guys. I just want to catch up since I feel like I'm struggling already. Plus, since I want to study Egyptian archaeology it would be perfect to get a leg up in seeing the sights."

Pocahontas scratched head in thought. "What are the dates you're thinking of going?"

"Mid June through Mid July, so you would be back in New York by your dad's wedding."

Pocahontas was really beginning to take Ariel's proposal under consideration. "But what about the cost? Aren't flights to Egypt really expensive? I feel like going to Scotland would save me more money in the long run."

"Actually," Snow interjected "When I looked at the program website, the cost was pretty cheap as far as studying abroad goes."

"Yeah," Ariel added "It's definitely at least $1,000 cheaper than the Scotland program, so if money is the issue, Egypt definitely would be a better bargain."

Pocahontas pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked the time. "I'll definitely think about it, but right now I have to run to work." She turned to Ariel "Can we chat on facebook later? I want to know more"

Ariel squealed and hugged Pocahontas tightly around her neck. "My dad will be so thrilled to know that I'll have a friend going with me!"

"But I-"

"Don't worry, you don't have to make any promises yet but just knowing that you're thinking about it will make a huge difference!" Ariel interrupted while texting someone on her phone.

"Alright, it can go on official record that I am definitely considering it, but like you said, no promises yet." Pocahontas grinned "I'll talk to you later Ariel, and Snow I'll see you in class!" She waved goodbye to her friends as she ran to catch the elevator.

Snow turned back to Ariel. "I am so jealous of the both of you right now."

Ariel flashed a toothy smile "Snow, I'm sure if you tell your mom-"

"Stepmom" Snow corrected.

"Right. Stepmom. I'm sure if you tell her that me and Pocahontas are going, she'd feel better."

Snow rolled her eyes and vigorously shook her head. "Trust me, you don't know my stepmom. She'd sooner kill a puppy than let me have any fun."

Ariel sighed. She was used to Snow's over dramatic interpretations of her life. "Just keep asking her. She may change her mind still."

* * *

As Pocahontas stood in the elevator that took her to the 14th floor, she continued to wonder if Egypt would indeed make a better summer plan than Scotland. If the cost was really significantly less and she could still be with her friends in advanced Arabic in the Fall then there really was no obstacle in going to Egypt. Most importantly, the dates surely would not conflict with her father's wedding unlike the uncertainty of the Scotland trip. Likely, she would have to ask her father's opinion and find out which trip he would be more willing to help her pay.

When the elevator landed on the 14th floor, Pocahontas pulled her shoulder bag in front of her and unzipped the top pocket, pulling out her office keys in the process. She was fortunate that the university offered her work study on campus allowing her an only 14 floor commute for which she was incredibly grateful. She picked the key with the green sleeve and unlocked the office door, realizing that she was yet again though late, still the first person there. So Pocahontas gently placed her bag on the floor next to her desk and peered out the window as she did each day. The New York City skyline was always an awe inspiring sight, especially early on sunny days when the light would grace the eastern edges of the buildings. Fortunately, she was never afraid of heights and never suffered from vertigo, otherwise looking down at the streets from the huge 14th floor windows would be disorienting and not the least bit comfortable. Fortunately, Pocahontas enjoyed anything potentially thrilling, even if looking out a skyscraper window was all the thrill she could get in a day.

Just then, the phone started ringing and Pocahontas raced across the room to answer it. "Walt Disney Honors Program, how can I help you?" She sounded off the protocol answer. "Hi Professor Cogsworth, how is your sabbatical?...Good, the office is very quiet right now...Mrs. Potts? No, she's not in yet, can I take a message?...That's alright, I'll let her know to call you when she comes in...Thank you!" She responded as she hung up the phone and turned on the computer.  
A note on the screen caught her attention:

_Pocahontas,  
Please update the advising database. I will be in around 12:30.  
-Lorraine Potts_

Pocahontas sighed. "I'll get to the database in a bit. It'll only take me a couple minutes and she's not going to be in for at least an hour." She told herself as she logged in to the computer. As per her usual routine, she first checked emails in case students wanted to make an appointment for the day and seeing nothing but spam in the mailbox she opened the advising database for when she would begin logging the new information. With no other assignments, she thoughtfully tapped her fingers on the keys and continued to ponder her summer options.

"I might as well look up the information on the website while I still have it in my mind." She concluded as she quickly typed the program name into her search engine. After clicking on the top link, she surfed through the various aspects of the site: courses, dates, cost, housing, transportation, excursions...The prices really were fairly reasonable, at about $800 for a four week combined Modern Standard/Egyptian Colloquial course. "I'm sure dad and I could work something out with this..." She muttered and continued to search through the various program selling points.

Before she could think any further, her coworker Belle walked into the office. "Good morning!" She called as she placed her bag on the floor and unbuttoned her coat. "How are you this morning?"

Pocahontas looked up at Belle and smiled while stretching her arms to the ceiling and running her fingers through her long black hair. "I'm not bad at all! Just got out of a grueling Arabic quiz but luckily Professor Genie let's us make corrections. How about yourself?"

"I'm doing alright, though it's freezing out there and I'm one step closer to calling it quits and moving to the Bahamas." She laughed and placed her snow flaked coat on the hooks behind the door. She still had a few flakes in her pony tail which promptly began to melt the further she stepped in the room. "Have you thought more about Scotland?" Belle asked as she took note of the now-melted flakes dripping down her forehead.

Pocahontas restrained herself from giggling and quickly composed herself. "It's funny you should mention that. My friend just told me about this exciting program in..." She stopped mid speech as her phone buzzed in her pocket. "Hold on one moment, I just got a text." She pulled out her phone to find a text from Ariel stating: _I just ran into Esmeralda! She's going on the same program to Egypt too! Now you definitely have to come with!_

Pocahontas laughed and placed the phone back in her pocket. That girl sure was persistent.

"Everything alright?" Belle asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"To make a long story short, I think I might be going to Egypt this summer."

* * *

Later that evening, Esmeralda sat with a few of her friends at a local bar on the Upper West Side. Much of her present company included classmates from Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic class, including Milo, the socially awkward teacher assistant was present. Esmeralda knew them all fairly well; Milo was not only the teacher assistant in her Arabic class, but he was also pursuing the same degree subject as her. Kida and Mulan were also from the graduate center but were studying Iran and the Persian language instead of Arabic. Aurora, the stereotypically blonde beauty was also present, and she had often been given odd looks from strangers after informing them that she was fluent in Arabic and planning on living in Lebanon once she receives her Master's degree. Lastly, there were Flynn and Lumiere who were interested in Middle Eastern business and art respectively and were the closest to receiving their degrees than their companions at the bar.

"So Esme, I hear through the grapevine that you're heading to the land of the pyramids this summer" Flynn commented, taking a swig of beer "That sounds exciting."

Esmeralda shrugged. "Sure, I'm definitely excited to go. I've been missing it since I went in my junior year of undergrad. I'm certainly curious to see how it's changed since the revolution."

Aurora nodded "That's right! That will be an interesting comparison. Have you thought about using that as your thesis? Egypt: Before and After the Arab Spring." She held her hands out in a mock marquee.

Esmeralda shook her head and took a sip of wine. "Nah, that's too cliché. The Arab Spring is such a popular topic that there will hardly be any new research for at least another five years or at least once Egypt 's government solidifies."

"Do I detect a little bit of a hipster attitude from you Esme?" Lumiere winked, knowing any comment regarding hipsters would get under her skin. Esmeralda groaned in response.

"No, I really haven't thought much about my thesis yet and that's beginning to unsettle me." She admitted. "What about you guys? What have you come up with so far?"

"The fate of the economy once the fossil fuels run out." Flynn stated bluntly.

"The rising influence of Lebanon's art industry." Lumiere added.

Esmeralda nodded. "I see. And you guys?" She asked, motioning to her other friends who merely shifted in their seats uncomfortably.

"Well, I'm thinking about exploring the effect of the Arabic language now that colloquialism has become the local lingua franca." Milo informed his friends. "I mean, think about it. Egyptian Arabic has the widest influence as far as colloquial speech goes, but Levantine Arabic dialects such as in Syria and Palestine are becoming rather widespread too."

"Even though I'm not studying Arabic, I'm curious to see how the changes in Arabic vernacular affect Persian and other languages in the region." Mulan added. "Though, that's more personal interest as opposed to a thesis."

Esmeralda placed her hands flat on the table. "So really what I'm hearing is that most of you seem to have an idea of a specialty..." She crossed her arms at her chest and leaned back against the booth. "And I still have nothing."

Kida, who was sitting to Esmeralda's right, looked at her sympathetically. "I'm still thinking about it too, so you're not alone. I'm sure your summer in Egypt will act as an inspiration. You'll be there for two months right? And didn't you say that you have friends going too?"

"I spoke to Ariel today, you know the redhead in our Arabic class" Esmeralda gestured to Milo, Flynn and Lumiere "And apparently she's doing the same program as I am and she mentioned that Pocahontas may be going as well."

"Pocahontas? Really?" Flynn asked, puzzled "I thought she was going to Ireland or something like that to study dolphins."

Esmeralda rolled her eyes. "She was going to Scotland to study the effects of rising sea levels - though I think she originally had planned on applying to some program with dolphins too but I can't remember where." She mused. "In any case, Ariel seems to be under the impression that Pocahontas will be going too so that could be beneficial if the three of us stay together."

"You're going to be fine, I'm sure." Aurora smiled at her friend. "It's going to be a great trip."

"I'm sure it will, yes." Esmeralda responded, secure with her decision to go to Egypt in the summer, but still unsure of how and when she would finish her thesis.

* * *

Long after sundown, Ariel was having a much too intense conversation with her father. She came home hours earlier still excited about her potential summer trip. Nothing was set in stone yet of course, as there was still much planning to do but it seemed that her family still had their doubts...Most notably her overprotective father.

"I just want to keep you safe!" He roared. "Don't you know what could happen, sending my 20 year old daughter off alone to another country? No. I won't have it." He insisted, crossing his arms at his chest as he gazed angrily at his youngest daughter.

"Daddy...Dad. You just said it yourself, I'm 20 years old. I'm an adult now and can make my own choices." Ariel tried even harder to convince him.

"Make your own choices. Right, with my paycheck!" Her father scoffed, growing angrier after each word. This certainly wasn't going as well as she had planned. It was all the more difficult to explain the faraway places her mind had been wandering, especially since she never officially gotten her father's approval.

"Well yes, but no. I still have a few grants I can use for the program fee. All I would ask you to pay is the plane ticket." Ariel continued to plead. "Plus, you said it yourself that I could go, remember? It was just last week!" She added.

"You asked me at 3:30 in the morning when I was still sleeping...of course I agreed! I would have agreed to quit my job if you had asked me at that hour."

"Dad...please. I really, really need this. For my own personal growth and it would look really good on a job resume. Plus, my friend's Pocahontas and Esmeralda are going as well." The argument seemed to be going nowhere, causing Ariel to sink further into hopelessness. Though she often prided herself on her stubbornness, she forgot that he father was usually even more stubborn, especially when dealing with anything relating to the safety of his daughters.

"Ariel, you know I'm not trying to make you a prisoner here. You have to understand where I'm coming from as your father." He breathed, calming down ever so slightly. "Don't you remember that camping trip you took with your friends in high school? You didn't call home once during that entire week which worried us all half to death."

Ariel sunk her head. "Yeah, I do remember..."

"I know you're older now and you're not that same irresponsible 16 year old. I trust you to take care of yourself." He paused momentarily to catch his breath. "It's everyone else I'm worried about! There are all sorts of crazies in the world, and I have limited power as it is here at home. Imagine if something happened to you all the way across the world? There would be absolutely _nothing_ I could do." Ariel's father added, his eyes filled with all sorts of concern.

"Daddy..." Ariel began. "I honestly don't know what to say right now." She uncomfortably scratched her arm and stared at the floor while her feet dangled from the chair she sat in.

"I'll tell you what, I will think about it." Her father said, causing Ariel's eyes to instantly brighten. "But don't get your hopes up just yet. If this really means that much to you, I'm sure you can wait a few more days while I sort out my thoughts and read up on the political turmoil in the region..." He muttered to himself while he turned his back to his daughter and walked out of the room.

"Goodnight daddy!" Ariel called out to her father.

"Goodnight..." She faintly heard him grumble from his study. A couple seconds later, she heard the click of the television and listened while her father flipped through the channels before landing on Al Jezeera English. A rather good sign indeed.

Ariel knew her dad had a soft spot for keeping his daughters happy and she knew that he would seriously consider allowing her to go to Egypt. At this, she could hardly contain her joy and she felt the grin creeping up her face.

"I'm actually going to Egypt..." She whispered to herself.

"Not yet!" Her dad called out from his study, initiating a series of giggles from his ever optimistic daughter.

* * *

_AN: Hey everyone! Nice to see you stopping by my second story. Just a small disclaimer, I'm not planning on actually getting this story rolling for another month or so. There may be a couple chapters here and there, but I'm not committing to a plot until the actual summer rolls along. Still, reviews, comments, questions and concerns are always appreciated! I should also mention that even though some other characters will make a few appearances, the story will primarily focus on Ariel, Esmeralda and Pocahontas._

_With that said, I will be trying to dedicate more time to __**You Will Learn from Each Other**__ since I've been neglecting that lately. I could really use your help: in order to push that story along, it would really help if you could vote on the poll I have in my profile so that I have an idea of where my readers want the next chapter to go. Once I have a sufficient amount of votes, I'll work on getting that chapter published as soon as possible!_

_Until then, thanks for reading!_

_Suzerenma_


	2. Chapter 2 - Details, Details

_Author's Note:_

_Just a head's up and a reminder: This is an AU story, so there are crossover pairings as evidenced in this chapter as well as alternate background stories._

* * *

Chapter 2 – Details, Details

Ariel paced around her bedroom with her phone in hand. It was 1:00 in the morning and she was waiting for an opportunity to call the language institute in Egypt with a few questions. The last time she did this, the receptionist told her to call another time – apparently the right person to talk to wasn't in that day. Ariel was nervous. She had stalled long enough and she knew she needed to acquire the information soon before she paid the program fee and plane ticket– it was already April and the ticket costs had risen substantially since she first toyed with the idea in January. Likewise, it was already April, and she still hadn't been able to ask the important questions regarding housing and airport transport. Ariel, the native New Yorker that she was, still never could master speaking to strangers on the telephone and thus tried to avoid it as much as possible. Her family and friends of course, lovingly used this small fact to tease her whenever the opportunity presented itself.

"Esmeralda and Pocahontas are going to kill me..." she muttered to herself as she continued to pace. The truth is that none of them wanted to make the call. Pocahontas agreed to email professor Adam who to their knowledge, would still be in Cairo by the time they arrive. She did that back in March though, and Adam had already confirmed that he would be glad to see them during their visit. So Ariel knew that her travel companions were waiting for her to pull it together and relay their questions.

"I don't see why Esmeralda couldn't have done it. She's better suited for this than I am." Ariel continued to grumble. But she knew that Esmeralda couldn't have done it because she works during the best times to call. So Ariel knew that she was the one to do it.

With a breathy sigh, she finally stopped pacing and settled in front of her computer screen to find the phone number. With hesitation, she slowly dialed each digit of the international phone number. "I hope this doesn't rack up my phone bills too high." She said to herself as she pressed the 'talk' button. Ariel waiting until she heard the dial tone before putting the receiver to her ear and then she waited some more.

She didn't have to wait long before an automated voice message answered her call. They were not open yet. Dejected, Ariel hung up the phone, vowing to stay up another two hours to ensure that she would reach them. In an effort to distract her, she open another tab in her browser to Facebook where a red notification popped up, indicating that she had 1 unread message.

When Ariel clicked on the notification icon, she noted that the new message came from the shared conversation between herself, Esmeralda and Pocahontas. Both of them had sent something since the last time she checked and she knew they were just going to pester her more about the phone call.

**Esmeralda: Hey Ariel, have you called them yet?**

**Pocahontas: Hi ladies! I hope you're both doing alright. Ariel, I didn't see you in class this week – are you alright? Any word from Egypt?**

"I knew it..." Ariel grumbled some more as she shook her head and stared at the screen. She didn't want to have to explain yet again why she still had no news regarding their quickly approaching trip. Still, out of respect, she typed a quick response.

**Ariel: Hey! I'm so sorry I have been so unresponsive lately. I've been feeling sick all week so I haven't been to any classes. You're both probably going to hate me...I still have no information. I did call though at like, 9am on Wednesday and they told me I had to talk to someone else. So...I'm really sorry that I still don't have the information. I'll try again in a couple hours when they're open.**

"That should do it for now." Ariel told herself as she pressed the send button.

**Ariel: Also, I think we should just go ahead and buy the plane tickets tomorrow. They're only going to get more expensive. Let me know about the flights you guys find and we can try to get on the same one from New York.**

She quickly added the last part to direct the focus from the phone call. If nothing else, they can at least check off that part of the list and move forward from there. Since it was late, she didn't expect a response from either of them until the morning, so she began to shut down her computer. Right then, a notification popped up again.

**Pocahontas: Sounds good! My grandmother is in town and she said that she'll help pay for the ticket. I'll be online later in the evening so we can go through it together. **

After Ariel finished reading, she decided to pass the time by watching a sitcom online but as her eyes grew weary and her yawns became more frequent, she decided that she would at least try to get a couple hours of sleep, at least so that she wouldn't be dead tired in the morning.

It seems her body had a different idea however...

* * *

Esmeralda rolled over and groaned when she heard her alarm clock blaring what might as well have been obscenities. She hit the snooze button and once again vowed that when she made a career out of politics and policy, she would outlaw early mornings. Needless to say, Esmeralda was never a morning person. Though to be fair, she had been rather over-worked lately, for universities seem to devote most of their financial aid to their PhD and Undergraduate students; never mind the Graduate students like Esmeralda who still needed the extra pocket fillers to pay for basic living expenses alongside the high tuition. Thankfully she finally became a resident of New York State the previous semester; for when she first moved from Houston, Texas, she had to pay nearly three times the resident tuition. So while Esmeralda often missed the vibrant Romani community of Houston, she highly valued her education – even if it meant uprooting to a completely different part of the country.

When the alarm went off the second time fifteen minutes later, she reluctantly scooted her way to the side of the bed and put her feet over the edge. The hard-wood floor was shockingly cold, sending a shiver up her back. So to keep warm, she draped a fleece bathrobe around her shoulders as she trudged her way to the shared bathroom. The last thing she wanted to do was look at herself in the mirror; no doubt her brown wavy locks would be in a chaotic jumble and the bags under her eyes would be greatly exaggerated. The problem with avoiding the mirror is that she had to keep her focus elsewhere, and in such a small space, it was impossible to ignore the current state of the bathroom. As usual, it was an absolute mess, and Esmeralda hated living in such an environment.

"Charlotte!" Esmeralda yelled to her roommate. "Come clean up your crap! For the last time, I'm sick of dealing with it!" She curled her nose as she gingerly pinched one of Charlotte's bras off the bathroom sink and dropped it on the floor to her side.

"It's not my fault we don't have a washing machine!" She heard Charlotte call back.

"Just...deal with it." Esmeralda sighed, trying her best to keep her cool during the early hours. It was already 7:30 in the morning and she only had 30 minutes to get ready before she had to run to work. When Charlotte moseyed her way into the bathroom, Esmeralda decided to give the other girl some space while she (hopefully) cleaned up her mess. To pass the time, she logged into her computer and clicked the tab open from Facebook. The red notification symbol indicated that she had unread messages from Ariel and Pocahontas, so she quickly opened the shared conversation in hopes that either of them would provide further information about the trip.

After scrolling through last nights conversation between Ariel and Pocahontas regarding flights, Esmeralda read the most recent message displayed at the bottom of the page. It was sent an hour ago:

**Ariel: Oh my gosh! I overslept! I'm sooo sorry! I couldn't reach them again...I'll try again later though, I promise!**

"Just what I need..." Esmeralda growled to herself and abruptly shut off the computer. "Charlotte! Are you done in there yet?" She called to her roommate.

"Almost..." Charlotte sighed.

Esmeralda got up to peek into the bathroom to make sure that Charlotte was indeed removing her lingerie and scrubbing the grime off all the ceramic surfaces. When satisfied, Esmeralda sifted through her otherwise well-organized wardrobe for an outfit for the day. Right as she had pulled on a her chosen pair of black slacks and a buttoned red sweater, she began to put on her boots but was interrupted by Charlotte's shrill screaming from the bathroom. Instinctively, Esmeralda dropped her boots and ran into the bathroom only to wish she had waited until her boots were on...

"I don't know how it happened Esme! It just...won't stop!" Charlotte cried while the water from the clogged toilet continued to rise against her bare feet.

Esmeralda rolled her eyes and stepped further into the bathroom, grabbing the plunger from the adjacent wall without missing a step. She quickly surveyed the situation before taking action: it wasn't a pretty sight, that's for certain.

"Charlotte, you know you're supposed to throw your old clothes in the trash can, not the toilet right?" Esmeralda cautiously asked her clueless roommate.

"I dunno, it all goes to the same place doesn't it?" Charlotte shrugged.

Esmeralda turned slowly away from Charlotte and returned her focus to the disturbingly clogged toilet, which was still sputtering its unflushed matter over the bathroom tiles. "Please tell me you know how to use a plunger..." It was more of a prayer than a question.

"A what?" Charlotte asked, cocking her head to one side. Her wide eyes were just filled with confusion, it was obvious she had never had to do housework once in her life.

Esmeralda sighed and began to slowly plunge Charlotte's shredded clothes from the ceramic bowl, careful not to spill more water than necessary. Over her shoulder she heard her roommate giggling.

"That looks so funny!" She heard Charlotte laugh.

"This is going to be a long day..." Esmeralda groaned to herself.

* * *

Back across town, the morning had so far gone rather smoothly for Pocahontas. She held a large cup of green tea and a toasted bagel in her hand as she swiped her student ID through the turnstile entrance. As she passed through, she made a point to smile and wish the security guard a good morning. To her expectation, the guard just continued to frown, already seeming to dread the rest of the day. This didn't bother Pocahontas, and she just shrugged it off, attributing the perpetual frown to be part of the classic New York City charm. She was used to it by now, after moving to the Big Apple from her hometown San Francisco two years prior, but that didn't stop her from wanting to shake up the stereotype of the negative, angry New Yorker. Truth be told, she was more than happy to be in New York. It was far more lively than her bay-side home, and there were far more opportunities for adventure. Though she did miss the varied topography and fairly environmentally friendly atmosphere, she often found the 49 square mile San Francisco to be rather insulated, and sometimes even small minded. She much more appreciated the the diverse array of people, cultures and mindsets that she found in New York City, even if it meant giving up her favorite nature escapes for a while.

Since it was only 10:00 in the morning, and her first class didn't begin until 11:00, she made a beeline to her office lounge for some peace and quiet. As she stepped into the elevators, a friendly voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hey Po!" The voice cheerfully announced. Pocahontas quickly turned around to recognize a friend she hadn't seen since her first beginning Arabic course a year and a half ago.

"Jane! My goodness, it has been a while since I've seen you!" Pocahontas beamed at Jane. "How have you enjoyed the Heritage Speakers Class?" She asked, referring to aptly named course dedicated to students who knew colloquial Arabic but still needed to work on Modern Standard.

"It was interesting to say the least. We all came from different colloquialisms so we were discouraged to speak anything but Modern Standard." Jane replied, her English accent still clearly audible even after years of living in New York.

"I'm sorry if I keep asking, but I always forget; how is it again that you speak Arabic?" Pocahontas raised a single eyebrow in question. "By the way, I'm going to my office on the 14th floor., the next stop"

"If you don't mind, I'll join you for a few minute. It would be nice to catch up." Jane responded, preparing to step out of the elevator. "As for your question, it's not a problem. I grew up in Egypt with my dad who is an Egyptologist."

Pocahontas' eyes widened as they stepped out of the elevator. "No kidding! I feel like that is something I would remember. Are you Egyptian?"

Jane laughed loudly when they turned a corner in the hallway. "I know, my pale skin is kind of a shock isn't it? But actually yes, my mom is Egyptian." She explained. "In fact, I'll be visiting her in Cairo this summer – I go nearly every year."

Pocahontas fumbled for her office keys once the two young women reached the office lounge. Apparently Mrs. Potts hadn't come in yet as all of the doors were still locked.

"That's really interesting." Pocahontas began, twisting the key into the lock. "As a matter of fact, I'll be in Egypt this summer as well." She added as she opened the door and let them both in. The ceiling lights turned on automatically.

Jane's eyes lit up and a wide smile grew on her face. "You should stay with me! When are you going?" She asked excitedly.

"It's not set in stone yet. I haven't bought the plane tickets or paid for the program fee but I should be there from about mid-June to mid-July." Pocahontas gently set her bag down next to her desk and turned on the computer, motioning for Jane to sit in the adjacent chair in the office.

Jane waved her hand."No thanks, I need to run to class soon. But yes, so are you going to study Arabic there? This must be so exciting! We must definitely keep in touch in the coming weeks so that we can plan as much as possible into that month."

"It's going to be so nice to know another person there! I'm traveling with a couple of classmates – Ariel and Esmeralda – Do you know them?"

Jane shook her head. "No, those names don't sound familiar. They must have joined the course after I left."

"Yes I believe Ariel was taking the beginning course with a different professor, and Esmeralda is a graduate student so I guess that makes sense." Pocahontas reasoned as she brushed a long strand of hair out of her face. "Will I see you soon?"

"Yeah definitely! I'll find you on Facebook and we can work out the details." Jane quickly hugged Pocahontas goodbye. "It was really nice to run into you." She added with a smile.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ariel was making her way from Queens to Midtown Manhattan. She hadn't expected to oversleep and she certainly didn't intend to miss another chance of contacting Egypt. Like most other college students, she was over worked and therefore over tired. She felt bad, but there was nothing she could do about it until the next opportunity came by. Luckily for her, she didn't have any classes until the late afternoon so she decided to meet Rapunzel for lunch at Grand Central Terminal. They knew each other in high school and they were fairly close until they began college when the stress of classes and time management took away their chances to stay connected in each others lives. Still, they were rather fortunate to still go to the same college and wind up in the same Arabic class. The problem also lay in the fact that they both had very overprotective parents, which to a large degree became a common topic of conversation between them. In fact, throughout the four years of high school, Rapunzel was the first person Ariel went to about family issues.

Ariel had been to the restaurant with Rapunzel once before, and she remembered that she had gotten lost that time. Getting lost was understandable for it was a small sit-down pizza joint tucked away in a corner of the lower level food court. To Ariel's surprise, the pizza was quite good, and she was shocked to find out that it was actually somewhat famous. Then again, most pizza places in New York City were somewhat famous. For months afterward she had craved that pizza, but she didn't want to go without Rapunzel so she waited until they were both free to go together. At this time when Ariel walked in, Rapunzel was already seated flipping through the menu. Apparently over the past weekend she had cut short her long blonde hair and dyed it brown.

"Punny!" Ariel squealed and ran up to greet her friend with a hug. "I'm so glad we finally have a chance to hang out! What on earth did you do with your hair?"

"Ari!" Rapunzel squeaked back. "I thought it was time for a change and what better way to make a bold start than going for a brand new hairdo? I feel like I have so much to tell you and I'm sure you have your own fair share of news too."

"You look so adorable and grown up, I love it." Ariel began as she and Rapunzel took to their seats. "But first off though, how are you doing in Arabic?"

Rapunzel shrugged. "I'm doing alright. It's pretty hard but I think I'm at least earning a B. How about you?"

Ariel scrunched her nose and made a throaty gagging noise. "I hope I'm earning a B, but I doubt it. The class has become so confusing with the switching between formal and colloquial."

Rapunzel gave her friend an apologetic glance, but before she could say anything, the waiter appeared at their table and asked for their order. They decided to split a large pizza with pepperoni assuming that they could take home whatever they don't eat.

"I know what you mean. I find it confusing too and the work load is so intense." Rapunzel said after the waiter walked away. "But what can you do?"

"Well, that actually brings me to my big news..." Ariel said, a smile growing on her face.

Rapunzel's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, you're dating an Arab guy aren't you? What's his name? What does he look like?"

Ariel rolled her eyes. "Punny, I'm not dating anyone."

"Oh..." Rapunzel sank back in her seat, clearly disappointed that she wouldn't hear a romantic story.

"What I was going to say," Ariel slowly began again, "is that I'm going to Egypt in the summer!"

Rapunzel squealed excitedly. "Whoa, that is far more awesome than getting a boyfriend! Congratulations! When are you going?" She paused, suddenly becoming serious "Wait, what did your dad say?"

Ariel inhaled sharply. "Well that's the problem. He still isn't thrilled about me going. I think he's still mulling it over but the fact that he's even thinking about it is promising. You know he actually demanded to talk to Pocahontas on the phone the other day?"

"Pocahontas? The girl in our class?" Rapunzel asked.

Ariel patted her cheek with her palm. "Oh right! I forgot to mention that I'm going with Pocahontas and Esmeralda – both of them from our class."

Rapunzel was still puzzled. "OK, so going back to your dad. You said he wanted to talk to Pocahontas? Does he think you're lying about going with classmates?"

Ariel shrugged her shoulders and gave her friend a half smile. "I guess, but I'm not sure. He doesn't think I'm responsible enough to travel alone."

"Well, you did kind of forget to call him during that camping trip we took in Canada. Our parents were so furious remember?" Rapunzel reminded her.

"Yeah he still doesn't know that we went to Canada...That was in high school though. We're older now and I think we deserve a little more trust." Ariel insisted, toying with the tips of her long red hair. "Besides, we have Skype now and we can use that to communicate."

"I guess that's true." Rapunzel wasn't convinced, but she knew she couldn't change Ariel's mind once she was set on something she wanted. "Well, I wish you all the best. I'm sure you'll have a great time." She smiled at her friend.

Ariel sighed in relief. "Your support really means a lot to me Punny. I know it takes a long time to convince our parents to let us do anything, but you know more than anyone how important it is to fulfill a dream."

Rapunzel smiled sheepishly. "You're right; you have to go and you have to do this. I just wish I could go with you and experience the wonders, just like we said we would."

"One day we'll get to travel everywhere we want and we won't have to worry about overbearing parents." Ariel promised. "Who knows? Maybe your mom will let you come this summer. Anything is possible!"

* * *

Esmeralda was not having a good day. Between Ariel's inability to call the program and Charlotte's bathroom fiasco, she was thrown completely off kilter as the remaining hours lapsed by. It was cold out, yet she was under dressed; she missed her bus, so she had to wait another 30 minutes; she left her homework on her desk at home, so her grade for the day suffered. It seemed everything that could go wrong, did. That was at least until her mid-afternoon commute to work took her on a detour through Astoria.

When Esmeralda got off the bus, she expected to be at Queen's Plaza where she interned at the Department of Education. Instead, she found herself in one of the largest Arab communities in New York City. The streets were lined with felafel houses, fine Mediterranean restaurants and hookah bars – a sight Esmeralda had not expected to see for another few months. At first, she thought her day was just taking another bad turn and that she would be punished for being late to work. Yet after everything else that had gone wrong since the early morning, she had reached a breaking point in which she lost all care for everything. The sights, smells and sounds of Steinway Street in Astoria were just too intoxicating and overwhelming to think of anything else. Instantly Esmeralda felt a wave of nostalgia for her previous trip to Egypt. All the ambivalence over her thesis and the frustrations of her bad day seemed to suddenly fade away.

On a whim, she went inside one of the felafel cafes for a snack and took a seat by the window. The unusual peacefulness she felt was paradoxically unnerving. It worried her that she wasn't worried about anything at that particular moment. So when she took out her large packet of thesis research, she didn't find the process so overwhelming and she discovered that she retained more information than usual.

"Is someone sitting here?" A masculine sounding voice asked.

Without looking up, Esmeralda shook her head. She didn't even notice that the voice belonged to someone she knew and that he was speaking English amongst the background of Arabic speakers.

So he tried again. "So Esme, how's the thesis coming along?"

"Fine." She answered, taking a small bite of her felafel as she kept her eyes glued on the text in front of her. A few crumbs dropped onto her reading and she mindlessly brushed them away. Suddenly she realized that this stranger knew her name. Puzzled, she looked up and was surprised to see Flynn leaning back in the seat adjacent to hers.

Still, she kept her cool. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I can say the same to you. I'm always here, but you're not." He replied. "So what's keeping you away from work on this fine afternoon?"

"Got on the wrong bus..." Esmeralda muttered under her breath, refixing her eyes on her research.

"Something tells me that you wanted to escape the old grind, and this is the kind of place you wanted to be."

"And what kind of place is this?" She snapped. She hadn't meant for her voice to sound so harsh, but she wasn't in the mood to play Flynn's philosophical mind games.

"Whoa, testy today are we? I was just saying that you want to be in Egypt now, and this is as close as you're going to get until summer." Flynn held up his hands in mock defense.

Esmeralda sighed and closed her research packet. "It's just so overpowering right now, and nowhere feels safe." she admitted. "I mean, how was it so easy for you to choose to study business?"

Flynn shrugged. "I'm greedy and business yields profit. What more do you want me to say?"

"I don't know. Some kind of advice I guess."

"Well, I can tell you one thing. You're far more ambitious than I ever will be, and your interests are much more diverse and complex – what you do will undoubtedly be interesting and provocative." He said, leaning forward in his seat to rest his elbows on the table. "But these interesting and provocative subjects take a longer time to build than generic ones. You just need to find your niche."

Esmeralda laughed. "My niche, huh? Seems I'm having trouble finding my 'niche' in all aspects of my life."

"Well, you're going to find it sooner or later, and I'm betting you'll have it all figured out by the time you get back from Egypt."

"And what makes you so certain that this trip will be so important?"

"Because you really need to take a step back from every day life for a bit, and you live, breathe and drink Egypt. You love it there. You'll find more inspiration in one day on the streets of Cairo than you could ever find in a year in Manhattan."

"So you think I should relax and just wait and see how the summer goes before jumping to an idea?" She asked with a touch of ambivalence in her voice.

"No that's not what I'm saying at all. If you find an idea before then, by all means, go for it. But if you don't have one by the time you board your flight to Cairo, don't sweat it either. It will happen."

Esmeralda didn't know what to say. She never took Flynn to be the inspirational type or even the slightest bit honest, but she absorbed his advice nonetheless and gave it some thought. If nothing else, it was nice to be reminded that she still had time and that was all she needed.

"I think we should hang out more often." She finally stated with a smile.

* * *

Pocahontas usually enjoyed her evenings at home, except when her dad and his girlfriend Helga got into fights. This particular dispute began after one to many drinks for Helga which turned her into a complete terror. Events such as this are not uncommon, but it didn't make it any easier for Pocahontas who was increasingly feeling more like an unwanted roommate each day in her own home. Each day she felt Helga was taking her dad away, which was incredibly difficult to swallow given that he had almost single handedly parented her. It seemed no matter how much Pocahontas tried, she could not form a relationship with Helga and being at home felt to her like an ever growing weight on her shoulders. She missed her dad, and she wanted more than anything to have him back. Much to her pleasure, her grandmother Willow was in town and she had always been good at diffusing fights and making Pocahontas feel special again. Until this night, things had been relatively calm and everyone was civil. However, on this night Willow had gone to bed early and Helga started complaining of what she referred to as 'Willow's crazy talk.' Naturally, Pocahontas wanted to defend her grandmother against any slanderous speech, but that only led Helga to drink more than usual, causing her to quickly succumb to angry drunkenness which resulted in a gigantic web of blame placed on Pocahontas and her father.

It was a long enough day with classes, work and homework and Pocahontas just couldn't take the stress anymore. In an effort to escape, she got into her car and drove to her boyfriend Aladdin's house. There they met up with their good friends Hercules and Naveen and ventured to their usual bar to play pool. At first, Pocahontas just silently sulked with her shoulders rigid and her head down.

"Still don't want to play?" Aladdin asked her after he scored a shot. "I'm all alone over here and I'm lonely." He faux-pouted to emphasize his point. He couldn't hold up the facade too long because the sound of her giggling made him grin.

"Just one more bite of these corn cakes." Pocahontas promised as she took a bite. "They're just too good and I'm not ready to leave them yet!"

"Eh, they're alright." Came Naveen, who was preparing to take a shot.

Aladdin snorted. "That's because you have an unusual fondness for Taco Bell and nothing else satisfies you."

"Oh Al, you know Naveen is just going to die alone anyway since he can't get a girlfriend." Hercules chimed in while throwing a french fry at his notoriously undatable friend, earning a small laugh from Pocahontas.

Naveen glared at his company. "Laugh all you want. I'm going to be the most successful out of all of you." That was the joke amongst them; Naveen was a music major and his entire life revolved around his guitar and singing. Everything else in life he never bothered to work for, including dating. "But you know, you're one to talk Herc; if I recall you're still pining after Cinderella."

Hercules shrugged. He was used to being reminded of his otherwise traumatic break up with his long-term girlfriend. They had been together a little over three years before the intimacy just began to fade. "And that's why I have my camera to keep me company. At least I can get some good inspiration from this heartbreak."

Pocahontas was still smiling. "This is why you guys are my best New York friends."

This was true. Even after two years of living on the east coast, she still had made relatively few friends. In fact, she only knew Hercules and Naveen through Aladdin, and they all knew each other since high school. Aladdin was the one who immediately introduced her to the group. He never minded that she was always with them when they hung out. All that mattered to him was that he could be with all of his favorite people at the same time without conflict. He had enough troubles at home with neglectful parents and disinterested brothers that he bonded closest with his friends and Pocahontas, all of whom kept him out of trouble by giving him places to stay and food to eat.

"Oh sweet, you really know how to pick 'em" Aladdin chuckled. "But still, you have to admit that we're your best friends of all time, not just in New York."

Pocahontas raised a finger to protest. "Wait now, Eric is still my best friend, and Meg and Jasmine are my girls. Then there's Tiana, my sister, and Tarzan, my brother. The only difference is that they're all in California so I can't see them much."

Naveen furrowed his brow. "I thought you were an only child?" He asked.

"What she means is that she grew up with Tiana and Tarzan. She's known them longer than we've known each other." Aladdin informed his friend who accepted this as a reasonable response. "But hey," he continued, turning back to his girlfriend. "You're going to have a blast this summer in Egypt and I'm sure you and the two other girls will become better friends."

Suddenly Pocahontas groaned loudly. "That reminds me that I need to get home. I need to purchase my plane tickets tonight and I promised Ariel and Esmeralda that I'd be online before midnight so we could do it together."

Aladdin frowned. "You sure? You're feeling so much better and if you leave now, your dad and Helga might still be awake."

Pocahontas bit her bottom lip and nodded. "I definitely have to go home. I have to be awake early tomorrow morning anyway."

"Want me to go with you?" Aladdin asked, only for her to shake her head.

"No it's alright. Stay here with Herc and Naveen." She answered.

Naveen exchanged a glance with Hercules and shook his head as he began to collect the balls from the table. "Nah, we probably should head back too. I don't want to throw my sleep off schedule.

"I'm sorry guys. I didn't want to cut the evening short." Pocahontas smiled meekly while she draped her purse around her chest.

"No it's no problem. It is a weeknight as you said." Hercules reassured her, stretching out his arms for a hug. "Get home safe and try not to let the stress get to you." Naveen followed suit and wished Pocahontas his goodbye as well.

"Call me when you get home, alright?" Aladdin asked before briefly kissing her goodbye.

She reassured him that she would and took her leave from the bar.

* * *

At midnight, all three girls met online to sort out the plane tickets. Ariel woke up her dad, who reluctantly agreed to at least buy the ticket while prices were still cheap. Of course he still bought the optional insurance in case he changed his mind and wanted a refund, but Ariel was excited nonetheless to at least be on the way to officializing the trip. She was even more excited that the flights they ended up booking involved layovers in Milan and Paris. Afterward, she texted Rapunzel that she was officially going to Egypt – so far.

Pocahontas likewise woke up her grandmother, who sleepily read the fine print several times to make sure that the ticket would be charged correctly. Willow always seemed calm, even if she was a bit obsessed with details. Eventually she got so fed up with the websites that she gave Pocahontas her credit card and asked her to fill in the information. Still, she confirmed her tickets which is all that mattered. Before she readied herself for sleep, she called Aladdin as promised to tell him that everything went smoothly.

Esmeralda on the other hand, had saved up enough money to buy her own ticket, the only logistics for her involved making sure the three of them got on the same round trip flight. She normally would have been irritated to be awake so late, but after her detour through Steinway and her discussion with Flynn, everything seemed a little bit easier to manage. Once she received her confirmation email, she sent a quick text to Flynn, thanking him for his unexpected help.

It didn't take long for her to receive a response: "You're always welcome Esme. Sleep well."

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_Hi all, hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's a bit long, but since I'm not updating frequently and I'm covering a lot of details, I figured the length was necessary so that I wouldn't have to cut anything short. Likewise, as noted at the beginning of the chapter, this is an AU story so plot lines are a little out of canon. I recognize that some readers might be puzzled as to my choices in this chapter regarding pairings and hometowns. If this is the case, feel free to message me or leave a review. I have my reasoning and these plot choices were not decided spontaneously. With that said, I want to thank **Demi Brackenisk, Rebekahzombie and Ms. Emily Vega** for being my first reviewers for this story. Please let me know if this chapter continues to satisfy =]_

_So, to bring us to the present, things are going smoothly with my plan. I have my second chapter published and I'm working yet again on my next chapter for **You Will Learn From Each Other**. I definitely appreciate all the love on both stories! _

_Until next time,_

_Suzerenma_


	3. Chapter 3 - Egyptian Sunrises

_Author's Note:_

_Just a head's up: This chapter can be difficult to read as it incorporates some heavy themes that may make some readers uncomfortable. _

Chapter 3 – Egyptian Sunrises

Pocahontas screamed. She normally never screamed but as she sat in front of her computer screen and read the news article, her heart stopped in her chest and the only impulse she had left was to yell at the top of her lungs and belt out the most heart wrenching cry she was capable of. Her ears were ringing, muffling the sound of her phone and it took her a moment to register that time had not stopped and someone was trying to reach her.

When she pulled her phone out of her pocket she noted that Ariel was calling. Pocahontas took a deep breath and tapped the answer button on her screen.

"_Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god..."_ Ariel shouted over the line. "_Did you hear about Professor Adam?!_" (It is customary in Arab culture to call teachers by their first name as opposed to their last name)

Pocahontas suddenly felt thirsty, like her mouth was coated with cotton. "Yes, I just read the article." She managed to croak out.

"_There's an article?! I just read the email!"_ Ariel shrieked back. "_What happened?_"

"I think you should read it for yourself..."

"_Please?_ _I'm not in front of a computer right now." _Ariel begged.

Pocahontas took another deep breath and hesitated before she broke the news. "He was attacked in Cairo by another man who had a knife-" Pocahontas began before Ariel cut her off with a gasp.

"_Oh my god...A knife?_"

"Apparently Professor Adam was stabbed." She grimaced, and squeezed her eyes shut willing the tears to stop building. "In the neck..."

At first there was complete silence on the other line. Then Ariel sighed into the receiver."_Wow...this is a nightmare...Will be be alright_?"

Pocahontas didn't respond right away and instead skimmed the article for further information. When she only found that he was taken to the hospital, she decided to read the email Ariel had mentioned before. Professor Genie Al-Insaan had sent a short message to relay information of the assault that he heard directly from Adam's family once he went in to surgery.

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Professor Genie says that he is expected to make a full recovery." She heard Ariel return her sigh.

The two were silent for another moment, then Ariel spoke. "_What are we going to do now?_"

Given that both girls had only heard the news a few moments prior, Pocahontas hadn't yet thought about how the incident would impact the upcoming trip. For an hour, the two classmates discussed ideas back and forth; if they should continue with the trip, what they would do to cheer up Professor Adam, or whether or not they should tell their parents of the incident. Ultimately they reassured each other that this was an isolated incident and that their beloved mentor was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Still, the fact that something so terrifying and so unexpected could happen to someone they look up to and care for was enough to leave them shaken.

So after Ariel hung up, Pocahontas called Meg once she had composed her emotions to a reasonably steady state. Meg could be cynical, but Pocahontas appreciated her ability to 'tell it like it is.'

"What I don't understand is how he was so lucky. I would expect that any wound to the neck would inevitably be fatal." Pocahontas mused to her friend as she scribbled with her free hand drawings of flowers and birds on a nearby piece of paper.

"_Are you thinking that John had anything to do with it?_" The mention of John stopped Pocahontas in her tracks. He was a good friend of Meg's who Pocahontas had a short but very intense love affair with five years ago and he tragically passed away last month in a motorcycle accident. Though Pocahontas had been able to over time accept the fact that their romance had ended, she was hit very hard by his passing and looked earnestly for any sign that she still meant something to him toward the end. She also tried with all her might to push him from her thoughts.

"_Po?" _Meg's voice called over the receiver.

"I'm here." Pocahontas returned to the conversation. "I think you might be right."

"_Don't you think that your questions have been answered? That John was looking out for you and knew you couldn't handle another loss so soon and that was the reason your professor miraculously lived?"_

It seemed farfetched but distraught feelings often have a way of skewing improbable and fantastical ideas into logically sound possibilities. Thus to Pocahontas, that was all the assurance she needed for the time being. It was enough to put her mind at ease while balancing John's death amongst Professor Adam's near death experience.

Meg couldn't talk long so Pocahontas went out for a walk around her neighborhood. It was a beautiful day in late May and the flowers were in full bloom. She hooked her two dogs to their leashes and walked out through the front door taking note that goofy Meeko would need help with keeping focus and neurotic Flit would need to keep away from other dogs. The dynamic duo as Pocahontas called them always cheered her up when she needed a reminder of the positive sides of life – everything fascinated the dogs, even the same exact places they had visited every day.

John loved animals and though he never met the two dogs, Pocahontas knew he would have loved them. She also knew that Professor Adam nicknamed her the 'puppy girl' after all her class essays and exercises revolved around her dogs. She felt the ground move faster beneath her feet as the quickened her pace to a slow jog. She hoped that her focus would veer toward her present movements and not toward her latest brushes with grief.

John loved exercise and Professor Adam rode a bike to the university. Running is an exercise and so is biking and biking is similar to riding a motorcycle and John died riding a motorcycle...suddenly Pocahontas came to a stop outside Forest Park. It was clear that she would not rid her mind of these troubling thoughts until she truly worked through them. Meeko and Flit whined after the three of them stood at the corner of the park for several minutes. The dogs hated standing still so Pocahontas knew she had to quickly come up with a direction to travel in.

The problem was that she had no solid direction and she had no sense of order of her thoughts. She didn't want to think of Adam's assault or how terrified he and his family must have been. It was a non tragedy, one that was cleanly avoided with an ounce of luck. Was it really John who saved him? Pocahontas shivered at the notion. She didn't want to think about John anymore – she wanted that part of her life to be over no matter how much she still loved and missed him after all these years, knowing that she would never see him again... She felt that some part of her was betraying Aladdin by thinking of him. Suddenly it occurred to her: Aladdin! She felt an insurmountable desire to be near him and she suddenly ached for nothing more than his calming embrace. So she began her jog in the general direction of his house, taking out her GPS on her phone to ensure that she was headed the right way.

* * *

The next morning, Ariel ran into class still visibly shaken from Yesterday's incident. She hadn't slept well thus her large blue eyes were swollen with tears and exhaustion. When she looked upon the ashen faces of her classmates she knew there was no avoiding talking about it. Rapunzel was equally stricken with shock and sat up from her desk to give her friend a hug. Before they sat down in their seats, Rapunzel whispered in Ariel's ear "Please don't go..."

Ariel felt a shiver run down her spine. She looked over at her friend whose pleading face made Ariel's stomach turn. Suddenly it seemed in less than 24 hours that her long time dream of studying abroad in Egypt had turned into a nightmare. In an effort to remove herself from her troubling thoughts, she took out her Arabic homework and stacked it into a neat pile for submission. She fumbled a bit too much however and ended up watching her many sheets of corrections slip to the floor in a jumbled pile. She didn't even try to catch it; it seemed futile. So instead she knelt on the floor and scooped up the messy sheets, taking care to not disrupt the order further.

"Here, let me help you." Came a soothing voice over her shoulder. Ariel looked up to see Aurora holding out her hand to take some of the papers. Usually Ariel was intimidated by Aurora, for the graduate student was known to be very mature with an impeccable ear for Arabic – the complete opposite of how Ariel perceived herself. This time, she graciously accepted her help knowing full well that she couldn't hide her distraught feelings.

"Thank you..." Ariel mumbled under her breath as Aurora handed the papers back to her.

"I know the news is hitting you hard. Esmeralda is upset too, though I'm telling her not to worry." Aurora mentioned.

"Do you think Professor Adam will be alright?" Ariel repeated the same question that had been flowing through her mind all morning.

Aurora walked with Ariel to the front desk so that she could submit her homework. They both looked over at Professor Genie and Milo setting up the projector, noting that neither of them seemed phased by the news.

"Professor Genie knows Adam better than the rest of us and if he's not worried, we shouldn't be either." Aurora confirmed for Ariel. "Besides, he's awake now and out of surgery so he can only get better from here on out."

Ariel nodded. "I know you're right, but it's so scary to think about. He's so lucky to be alive, and now my friends are telling me not to go to Egypt in the summer."

Aurora's eyes widened as they both sat down in their individual desks. "Because of this?" She exclaimed. "That's preposterous! This was a freak accident, something that could happen anywhere!"

The young undergraduate student groaned in response. "I know, that's what I keep telling them but it's difficult to explain to people who just don't understand."

"Hopefully no one in this class is saying anything like that?"

Ariel glanced briefly at Rapunzel who was in the middle of an intense discussion with a few other classmates, no doubt about Professor Adam. She sighed as she looked back at Aurora who caught the subtle gesture and simply nodded.

"People worry, it just shows that they care."

Ariel knew this and she was aware that these concerns only arise out of love. Still, it frustrated her to know that even her closest friends could not respect her judgment or support her choices. The concern while valid was not based on reason. Aurora stated it perfectly, that such an incident could occur anywhere and plenty of terrible tragedies occur in America every day. However since Professor Adam was a victim that all of his students knew and admired, the tragedy hit closer to home than if it had happened to an anonymous neighbor. Egypt was irrelevant – it could have been anywhere and anywhere would have been under the same scrutiny.

"Just don't read the comments on the articles." Aurora warned, breaking Ariel from her thoughts.

"Why? What do they say?" The young undergraduate student asked.

"Essentially a lot of crap about Arabs, the Middle East, Egypt...Essentially they were saying that Professor Adam deserved what he got because he meddled in such affairs."

"That's disgusting!" Esmeralda interjected into the conversation. She had just walked in and overheard the conversation. She was angry, and it showed in her red-rimmed eyes; obviously she too did not sleep well. "The fact that anyone could even suggest something like that appalls me." She shook her head and walked over to the desk to turn in her homework.

"Esme, you expect this. I thought you wanted to learn to combat these attitudes by going into Middle Eastern studies." Aurora reminded her friend.

"Yes but this is beyond ignorance and bad attitudes. This is blatant victim blaming based on pure hatred and racism." Esmeralda fumed.

"I have to agree." Ariel piped up. She wasn't known for being angry but she also wasn't used to being in situations that would otherwise make her angry. "It's bad enough that someone we look up to and care about is hurt, it's even worse that people are inferring that he deserved it."

"Just no one tell Pocahontas ok? We all know how she feels about these things and no doubt she's been under a lot of stress lately." Aurora pointed out. She still managed to keep the calm reason in her voice even amidst such distressing times.

"Why, what happened?" Esmeralda asked.

"Her ex-boyfriend died a month ago and she's essentially been stuck in a time warp." Ariel informed her friend. "She tries to hide it but she was pretty upset last night when we talked on the phone."

Esmeralda's face softened and she nodded in response. "I see. You don't think this will impact her decision to go on the trip do you?"

Ariel shook her head. "No you know how she is. She'd sooner be chained to her kitchen table than pass up a chance for adventure."

"And what about you?"

Ariel didn't answer. She truly didn't know how to answer that question. She didn't feel particularly unsafe for going and she didn't feel scared but somehow the news of Professor Adam created a new anxiety within her. Perhaps it was the fact that this would be the first trip on her own without her family or perhaps it was the fact that she had no intention of telling her family what had happened. After all, her father only just began to feel comfortable about her going and he still wondered if it was the right decision to buy the plane tickets so early. No doubt if he heard what happened he would forbid her from going all together. This was something she just could not let him know about, but it pained her to betray his trust.

* * *

Esmeralda still could not shake the unsettling feeling even as she tried to fall asleep. All she could think was how Professor Adam must have felt; the terror, the fear. Likewise, she couldn't stop thinking about the horrible comments anonymous strangers wrote on the articles about his stabbing – how could _anyone_ deserve something so brutal? Regardless of political or religious beliefs, it repulsed her to think about how little empathy existed in her country. She thought about Ariel who undoubtedly had never experienced something so frightening in her life before, who's sheltered life kept her away from the more awful aspects of the world. She thought about Pocahontas who understood tragedy all too well, who's experiences have subtly squelched her thirst for new experiences. She thought of herself and hoped that she understood the delicate balances in life that make it unfair to some and privileged to others.

Still, she wondered how all three of them with common goals and world views could come from such different backgrounds and life experiences. Esmeralda felt like the lucky one; the one who had her share of good an bad evenly spaced throughout her life. While she never experienced deep loss like Pocahontas, she also matured faster than Ariel who still had much to learn of the world's cruelties. Yet while she considered herself the lucky one she wondered why she seemed the least happy – shouldn't she be wizened and toughened? Not only by her ability to recognize that life had its positive and negative moments and to predict when each wave and trough would occur, but also by the fact that she was three to four years older than her two travel companions.

After tossing and turning for more hours than she thought necessary, Esmeralda resigned to her insomnia and got out of bed. At first she thought about texting Flynn to keep her company as he didn't strike her as someone who had a strict bed time. Then she thought against it realizing that she didn't want to send him the wrong idea. When she searched through her contacts and found no one who would likely be awake to entertain her late night thoughts, she draped her rope around her and walked out to the living area. To her surprise, she found Charlotte sitting on the floor fiddling with some old photographs.

"What are you doing awake?" Esmeralda asked.

Charlotte chuckled softly. "I could ask you the same question..."

Esmeralda took a seat on the floor next to Charlotte, genuinely curious in what her otherwise vapid roommate could be so emotionally involved. "What are these pictures of?"

"Just things my daddy sent me yesterday. After my mom died he stuffed a bunch of stuff into the attic, mostly things that reminded him of her." Charlotte smiled softly. Her brows furrowed at the out-pour of memories. "He accidentally stumbled across them the other day and sent them to me."

Esmeralda was surprised. She never expected Charlotte to have experienced anything but happiness in her life, she seemed so obnoxiously chipper all the time. "I'm so sorry to hear that. How old were you?"

"I was only three when she died so I can't say I have many memories of her. These photos are really all I have and I'm only just seeing them now." The young blonde woman paused in her speech. "I'm really sorry if I've been a terrible roommate."

Esmeralda was stunned. This conversation was not what she expected when she stepped out of her bedroom. Her first instinct was to be supportive and deny any negative feelings. "Charlotte you're not-"

"Don't worry about it. You don't have to say anything. I know I'm completely useless with chores – my daddy spoiled me rotten and I know it. I just never learned these things." Charlotte lightly cut her off. "Really, I can understand how I can make a roommate from hell."

"I don't know what do say..."

"You know, the funny thing is that I actually wanted to learn how to be independent. I didn't want to grow up living off of my daddy's money and his constant support – he loves me and he wants to provide for me, but what am I going to do when he's gone too?"

Esmeralda was at a complete loss. She never expected such depth from Charlotte and it broke her heart to know how many times she vented to her friends about her 'roommate from hell.' It was obvious that there was always much more to her than she let on, as someone who lived with her, Esmeralda felt ashamed to not have detected any of this sooner.

Charlotte continued, oblivious to Esmeralda's inner strife. "He's getting old and he doesn't take great care of himself. He's all I got though and I have no clue how to take care of myself or him."

Without thinking, Esmeralda blurted out "Tell me what you want to know and I'll teach you."

Charlotte's eyes widened, completely taken aback by such an offer. "Aren't you leaving in a couple weeks for Egypt?"

"Yes but I'll be back in a month. Besides, all you'll need are the basics such as how to cook and clean for yourself."

"I'm guessing that means not flushing scraps of clothing down the toilet huh?" Charlotte giggled.

Esmeralda felt a shiver down her spine and she cringed. "That definitely would be a good first step."

"Well, I certainly appreciate your offer. You're a wonderful roommate and you have unimaginable patience with me. I'd hate to scare you off so soon." Charlotte's blue eyes lit up with complete sincerity. She was lonely and it was obvious, but she was also sweet and had a kind soul. "Do you want to look through these pictures with me? It would be nice to have someone to share these memories with."

Esmeralda smiled and scooted closer to her roommate in order to more easily peer at the photographs. Throughout the night the two young women laughed and reminisced about many things from their childhoods. They grew up remarkably different, but they both knew love and they both knew how to love others. They had different priorities and different life goals but ultimately they knew how important it was to connect with the people around them.

* * *

By 2 o'clock past midnight, all three of the young travelers were asleep in their beds. It had been an exhausting day with so much information and so much to process in such a short time. They all held the same weight on their shoulders as they pondered their own coping skills and their own ways of handling pain. Each of them became intuitively aware of how they were distancing themselves from the world and the people they loved; somehow, getting lost in thought seemed a better option than connecting with the changing times.

For Pocahontas, the thought of losing Professor Adam was too awful of a thought to think about. She understood loss and she could recite the various stages of grief by heart but she felt that she had no willpower left to tackle yet another loss. It became difficult to be optimistic and to believe that there was any good left in the world. Yet before she fell asleep, she thought of Aladdin and the love she shared with him. She thought of Meg who understood her thoughts even from the other side of the country. She thought of her father and her grandmother and the sacrifices they both had made for her. She thought of Helga and the bond they were beginning to develop. Then she thought of John who she never quite found closure with but would always have a place in her heart. She found peace in her moments before sleep and for the first time in months she dreamed pleasant dreams and felt hope for the future.

For Ariel, the thought of losing Professor Adam meant losing someone who built up her confidence. She never felt as though she was intelligent or particularly bright but his teaching challenged her to rise above her pre-set standards. She loved the challenge and she loved feeling her mind grow even when it seemed impossible to absorb anything more. Losing him meant losing a mentor and a hero who encouraged her to leave her safety zone and experience all that the world had to offer. She immortalized him and the thought that something so awful could happen to him meant that anything could happen to anyone else she cared for. Suddenly the world seemed terrifying and large without any safe places. Then she thought of her father and her sisters who protected her from harm throughout her childhood and beyond. She thought of her best friend Rapunzel who only meant well when she tried to encourage her to cancel the trip. Somehow within the overwhelming hours of the early morning, she found the confidence within herself to continue pushing toward her goal, at least for one more day and one more night. That was all that mattered for the time being.

For Esmeralda, the thought of losing Professor Adam meant a complete derailment from her academic career. She had only joined the course a semester ago and thus had not built a connection with him as her classmates but she looked up to him nonetheless. She wondered if something similar would happen to her in the future that would spark a controversy and potentially land her in an ethical dilemma. She wondered how her family would feel if they read slanderous articles against her in a newspaper. This field seemed so daunting and so overly complex that it seemed impossible to maneuver through unscathed. Then she thought of Charlotte who seemed so helpless yet so honest with herself. She thought of Flynn who was content with his reputation regardless of how inaccurately it portrayed him. She thought of Milo and his fear of failure that she worried would ultimately hold him back from his dreams. She took a promise to herself before sleep that she would never again trust first impressions. She believed that everyone deserves a chance to fully prove themselves.

As the moon rose above the New York City skyline and the three travelers found their rest, the sun rose over Cairo and lit the Nile ablaze. Adam too found his peace as the glistening golden rays infiltrated through his hospital window and arose him from sleep.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_My goodness! That was one hard chapter to write...it was shorter than usual but I don't find that to be a bad thing. The difficulty came from the fact that a good portion of the events detailed in this chapter actually did happen. My professor really was assaulted in Cairo earlier in the month and it was quite a shock for myself and my classmates. He has since made a full recovery which has been quite remarkable and quite a relief! _

_On that note, it is about two and half more weeks until I leave on my own adventure to Egypt and therefore the next chapter will likely be the first installment of the actual trip. I truly hope that this chapter did not put anyone off though I can understand if it left anyone feeling uncomfortable. There are a lot of heavy elements here that may be difficult to digest but I hope you are pleased nonetheless. Before anyone asks, yes I am still continuing with my trip and like my characters, the incident with my professor has not deterred me from my travels. With that said, I want to thank **Demi Brackenisk, Rebekahzombie, Ms. Emily Vega** **and Hyenastho **for supporting this somewhat unconventional story. As usual, please let me know if this chapter continues to satisfy =] Likewise, if anyone has any questions, comments or concerns, feel free to PM me and we can discuss any issues you may have._

_If all goes well, I will have another chapter for **You Will Learn From Each Other **before I leave but if June 14th passes by and I have not published an update then the story will be considered to be on hiatus until this one is complete. Thank you very much for your readership!_

_Until next time,_

_Suzerenma_


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